Entecavir is a potent anti-HBV drug superior to lamivudine: experience from clinical trials in China

Infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) can result in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in many patients. Patients with CHB require regular screening and monitoring to facilitate disease surveillance and to determine if/when treatment is indicated. The current goal of CHB treatment is sustained viral suppression with the aim of reducing or preventing hepatic injury and disease progression. Effective anti-HBV therapy is now available that can suppress, but not eradicate, HBV replication. Among the currently licensed and approved anti-HBV nucleos(t)ides, entecavir demonstrates a potent anti-HBV activity and a low rate of emergence of drug resistance, with good safety and tolerability profiles. These excellent pharmacological characteristics were assessed both in large international clinical trials and in separate studies in China. This article presents results from Phase II and Phase III trials involving 876 Chinese patients with CHB. The results of these studies suggest that entecavir should be recommended as a first-line choice among the currently available anti-HBV nucleos(t)ides.